Friday, June 5, 2015

The Community Gardens of Greenwich

“Know the
story of your food.”That is one mantra
of Greenwich Community Gardens, a local non-profit that is responsible for
Greenwich’s two community gardens. As explained by Founder and Assistant Garden
Director Patricia Degelmann Sechi, “if you’re growing your own food, you not
only know your own story but you’re writing your story, and what’s really fun
to think about is that we’re writing this story together.”

Growing gardens

Greenwich’s
first community garden was started by Sechi and volunteers in 2009, on a 15,000
square foot plot of property off of Hamilton Avenue and across a footbridge
behind Armstrong Court.With the strong
support and help of the community, Sechi led the way in clearing the small
jungle that had grown on a once thriving piece of land, formerly used as a
garden for residents in the 60s, 70s and 80s.Though they had no funding, the team of local volunteers and
organizations were able to repair the existing irrigation and fencing and to
obtain donations to start what is now known as the Armstrong Court Community
Garden.

Today, the garden
boasts 125 4’x8’ gardening beds, 2 storage sheds, a sensory garden, and native
gardens to welcome migratory birds and local butterfly species.Participants at the garden enjoy a real sense
of community when congregating at the community center, found at the middle of
the garden, which boasts a pergola, gardening classes and even a wood burning
pizza oven built by the Junior League of Greenwich.

With the
help of Wheels in the Woods, an organization dedicated to universal access
nature trails, gardening and housing, Greenwich Community Gardens was able to
open Greenwich’s second community garden on Bible Street in Cos Cob.The plot selected had originally been deeded
to the town by Colonel Montgomery (a former Greenwich resident and co-founder
of what is today the world’s largest accounting firm, PWC), for horticultural
purposes, but had turned into a dumping-station for leaves.Once again with the help and support of the
community, the mountains of leaves were transformed into a beautiful community
garden, which opened in May of 2014.

Cropped Garden

The 12,000
square foot Bible Street garden boasts 99 beds, 12 of which are universal
access beds, meaning that they have features that make gardening possible for
those with restricted mobility.Although
the garden is already fully subscribed, the vision for Greenwich’s second
community garden has not yet been fulfilled, and future plans include the
construction of a pergola, beehives and an apiary.There is also hope that the garden will one
day feature a composting site and large-scale rainwater harvesting.

At the
heart of these projects is the idea that gardening should be available to all
residents of Greenwich, and special efforts have been made to remove any
barriers to participation that may exist, whether physical or financial.To that end, tools, seeds and other gardening
equipment have been generously donated by local organizations, so that people
wanting to garden just need to register in the beginning of the year, then just
show up and have fun. In efforts to include those with physical ailments, the
universal access beds at the Bible Street garden were built with higher benches
and narrower beds.

For kids
(and certainly some adults!) “fun” is the focus, especially at the Armstrong
Court Community Garden where children can crawl through the bean tunnel, enjoy
the occasional lady-bug dance or kid-friendly gardening class.Beyond the fun, participating in gardening
allows children to learn firsthand the importance of sharing, cooperation and
responsibility.

But
gardening is not just beneficial for kids, as adult members have reported that
participating in the community gardens has not only given them a real sense of
community, but has also given them the opportunity to grow their very own
fresh, organic, local food.Members also
enjoy exercise, stress relief, solace and an appreciation of nature from
participating in the gardens.

Yummy greens!

Perhaps the
most noteworthy feature of Greenwich’s community gardens is its endeavor not
only to make gardening available to all residents of Greenwich, but also to undertake
the project in a morally and socially responsible way.The latter becomes apparent when one takes
note of the several garden beds that are reserved for growing food to donate to
Neighbor to Neighbor, a local nonprofit. Several independent gardeners also donate
portions of their personal crops to the organization as part of their
“Neighborly Harvest Program.”Special
consideration has also been made for migratory birds traveling along the
Atlantic flyway, and a native garden has been planted so that traveling birds
may have a natural environment to stop in along their way.

What began
as the vision of a local Greenwich resident to have a community garden has now
turned into a local Greenwich non-profit with an advisory board, a steering committee
at Armstrong Court, and a building team at Bible Street.All members are volunteers who dedicate their
own free time toward making this project a success.Due to the support and funding from local
individuals, businesses, grants, garden clubs and foundations, we are very
fortunate to have two wonderful community gardens in our town, and we can only
hope that the future holds continued expansion of this wonderful project.

Prepared by
Erin E. Adams, Greenwich Oral
History Project volunteer

Patricia Degelmann Sechi’s interview, “Greenwich
Community Gardens,” conducted by volunteer, Suzanne M. Seton, July 16, 2014, is
available through the Greenwich Oral History Project office located on the
lower level of the Greenwich library or in the reference area on the first
floor.